A/N: Just a forewarning that the story gets pretty intense from here on out.

Camp after camp passed. All too easily, JJ had fallen back into the almost monotonous pattern of training that she relished. The only things that had been different had occurred in mid April; Will's 21st, for which his family had come up from New Orleans and Aly had come in from Boston, and mid May; an impromptu trip to Boston with Will to celebrate Aly's 21st. Two whirlwind weekends free of gym and filled with fun had been just what the two veterans of Team USA had needed.

Now, she was back feeling much more refreshed, and having finished her Saturday training session, had decided to spend some time at the mall with her mom.

"That would make Will's day," Sandy said teasingly, pointing to a mannequin in the window of a lingerie shop as they passed it.

"Thanks for the tip Mom," JJ replied dryly, making Sandy laugh. "You'd be horrified if I went and actually bought it"

"I'd turn a blind eye," Sandy said simply. JJ grinned, shaking her head.

"How's Will liking the new apartment? Is he settled in a bit better now?" her mother asked as they stopped outside a clothing store to have a look at the sales racks at the front. Somewhere in the store, some sort of incense was burning, and to JJ at least, it was incredibly strong.

"Yeah, he's much more at home now. It's funny, because he's an amazing cook, but he cannot do laundry to save his life," JJ said. "He put a white dress shirt in with his colours the other day without even thinking about it and now the shirt is the ugliest shade of pink I've ever seen"

Laughing, Sandy shook her head, moving over to the next rack.

"Other than that though, he's surviving," JJ said. "Mom, I'm gonna go wait outside. This incense is giving me a headache"

Sandy nodded, waving her off as she turned and headed back out into the corridor. Taking a breath of the clearer air, she walked over to a bench near the fountain that sat in the middle of the open area, sitting down with her phone in her hand and her bags at her side. Keeping her phone clutched in her hand, she watched the activity of the mall rushing around her. She watched on as people went about their business, trying to guess what everyone was doing.

The lady who was rushing from store to store in a panic, muttering frantically to herself as she walked had almost certainly forgotten an important date; a birthday, an anniversary, something of the sort. JJ grimaced, hoping the lady would find something to suffice whatever she had forgotten.

Another woman walked past, dragging two highly spirited children by either hand. How she was going to achieve any shopping, JJ had no idea.

Just behind the woman was a tall, lean man who was walking with a little girl who appeared to be his daughter. She was cute as a button, dressed in a floral print summer dress with a cardigan and ballet flats to complete the look. She was talking animatedly, waving her hands around as her father chuckled. They weren't in any rush, and seemed to be talking rather generally. To JJ, it looked like they were having a father/daughter day, and it made her heart swell. She could remember her dad doing many similar things when she was younger, and she hoped the little girl would grow to have the same wonderful relationship with her dad that JJ had always been lucky enough to have.

She was so busy watching the little girl and her father that she was almost tuned out to the rest of the world. Moments later though, a flash of blonde amongst the crowds caught her eye.

She turned to see a young woman darting through the throngs of happy shoppers, clearly in a hurry like the lady who'd forgotten an event. She was pretty, with blonde hair and pale skin, but a fierce demeanour about her. But it wasn't her demeanour that made JJ do a double take.

For a moment, she had sworn the young woman was her deceased sister. The golden hair, the irate fierceness...

"Mommy!"

The excited gasp off to her left pulled her out of the reverie she'd been sinking into. She turned her head to see a little girl, probably no older than eight or nine, gesturing excitedly towards JJ as her mother begged her not to point.

"We shouldn't bother her Ava, it's the weekend and she's probably busy," she heard the mother say.

"Can I please just say hello?" Ava asked in an excited whisper. Her mother sighed, looking up and realising for the first time that JJ had noticed them. Catching Ava's eye, JJ smiled, beckoning her over to show that she didn't mind spending a few minutes with them. Ava's mother broke into a smile, gently prodding her daughter towards JJ.

"Hi," JJ said, her smile growing as they approached.

"Hi," Ava said shyly, half hiding behind her mother, suddenly very quiet now that she was actually speaking to JJ. "Are you Jennifer Jareau?"

JJ chuckled. "I am. What's your name?"

"Ava," Ava replied.

"Do you want to sit down?" JJ asked, giving Ava a warm smile as she patted the empty spot beside her. Ava nodded, slowly walking over and sitting down beside JJ. Her excitement was shining through in her expression, and JJ's heart was swelling. "Do you do gymnastics?"

"Uh huh," Ava said with a nod. "I'm a level 6"

"Wow, that's pretty cool. Which gym do you train at?"

"Northern Stars Gymnastics," Ava replied, her voice starting to grow.

"Oh, I've heard of them. The coaches there are very good, you're in good hands," JJ said with a smile. "What's your favourite event?"

"I like bars. I feel like I'm flying," Ava said happily. JJ chuckled.

"I like bars too, but sometimes I'm not very good at them. I tend to fall off them a lot at big competitions," she said lightly. Ava giggled.

"I saw your bars at Worlds in the all-around, and when you fell, I was like 'oh man, why did you fall JJ!'"

JJ laughed. "That's almost exactly what I said to myself too"

"I like your beam routine though. Beam scares me, but one day I want to do beam like you," she said. "You never fall"

JJ shook her head, giving her a comforting smile. "Don't let it scare you. If you fall, at worst, you'll just get a big bruise. And you won't believe this, but I fall off beam a lot in practice. This morning, I fell on my coach!"

Ava and her mother laughed, Ava's face lighting up at the knowledge that her idol wasn't always perfect either.

"Can I ask you something?" Ava said suddenly. JJ nodded.

"What are the Olympics like?"

Looking at the little girl beside her, JJ broke into a happy smile. "They're amazing. If you're willing to work very hard and not give up, the Olympics are one of the best experiences you can have," she said honestly. "It's not easy to get there, but it's not impossible"

Ava beamed, looking excitedly between her mother and JJ.

"Would it be alright if I got a photo of you two?" Ava's mother asked unsurely.

"Of course," JJ replied happily. Ava's mother relaxed into a smile, lifting her phone up as JJ put her arm around the excited little girl beside her. A few clicks later, and Ava's mother tucked her phone away, holding her hand out to her daughter.

"Come on my girl, we've got lots to do, I think we've taken up enough of JJ's time today," she said softly.

"Thank you for talking to me," Ava said sweetly as she hopped off the seat.

"The pleasure is all mine Ava," JJ replied, holding out an arm towards the little girl. "Can I have a hug?"

Ava giggled, leaning in for a quick squeeze, before bidding goodbye to JJ and waving as she practically skipped away at her mother's side.

Still smiling, JJ looked up, noticing her mother walking towards her with a smile on her face.

"You just made that kid's entire life," she chuckled. "I remember someone else passing a bookstore at about the same age and seeing Shannon Miller inside... you just about passed out, you were so starstruck"

"I remember that!" JJ laughed as she got to her feet and fell into step beside her mother. "She was so nice though!"

"She was lovely," Sandy agreed.

"That little girl was so cute," JJ said as they headed back towards the entrance.

"Well, I'm sure she'll be very inspired come her next practice," Sandy said. "She looked so excited as they walked away"

All JJ could do was continue to smile. Very rarely did she get to interact directly with her fans, and little Ava had been a humble reminder of just how much something so little could mean to them.

Rubbing her eyes, she walked across the hallway towards the bathroom she shared with her sister. The sun was barely up, but there was no point going back to sleep; her mom would be shaking her awake in half an hour for training anyway.

Reaching out, she closed her hand around the doorknob and turned it. The door swung open, and yawning, she stepped into the bathroom, her head down as she rubbed her eyes.

Finally pulling her hand away from her eyes, she blinked in an attempt to clear the fog from her vision.

It was then that she noticed the pool of blood that covered the bathroom floor, mere millimetres from her toes.

She nearly screamed, but her eyes were already following the blood across the bathroom to the shower tub. The curtain was closed, but just beneath the hem, she could see a pale hand, slick with blood.

Without even thinking, she leapt forward, wrenching back the curtain to expose whoever was behind it.

And then she screamed.

Gasping, JJ bolted upright from her sleep, her hands shaking and her skin slick with sweat. Will was still fast asleep beside her, and for a split second, she was glad she hadn't woken him up. Her heart was pounding, but her stomach was churning and her chest was tightening. She knew what that meant.

Throwing back the covers, she leapt out of the bed and raced into the bathroom, making it to the toilet just in time to throw up the contents of her stomach. She coughed and gagged until there was nothing left to bring up, her shaking body resting heavily on the porcelain for support.

She'd been avoiding it for months. Ignoring every picture frame, every memory, everything that reminded her of her. And now, it seemed her mind had decided to come charging back against her.

Standing up, she flushed the toilet, moving shakily over to the sink to rinse her mouth. She was now fully aware of the fact that all her clothes were damp with sweat. Some nightmare.

Once she had rinsed out the acrid taste of vomit from her mouth, she turned off the faucet, placing her hands either side of the sink and leaning heavily against it.

"Hey," came Will's soft voice from the bathroom door. "You ok? Thought I heard you throwin' up"

JJ said nothing, her fingers gripping the edges of the sink as she fought for her composure.

"Babe," Will breathed, taking a step closer. "JJ..."

His quiet concern was all it took for JJ to break. All the tension left her muscles as the dam walls broke and the tears came pouring down her cheeks. She slowly turned around to face Will, one hand over her mouth as she tried to control her sobs, but to no avail.

"Come here," Will said softly, crossing the room and pulling her into his arms. "Come here, I got you"

JJ completely let go, clutching at Will as her legs went weak beneath her. Somehow, they both ended up sitting on the bathroom floor, Will holding JJ as she cried more tears than he'd ever seen from her before.

"You're ok... I've got you," he whispered, rubbing her back in small, comforting circles. He ignored the fact that she was drenched with sweat, ignored the fact that her nose was running into the shoulder of his shirt, that she was crying so hard he could feel her tears against his skin; all he cared about right then was whether she was ok.

It was quite some time before she calmed herself down enough to let go of him, her eyes red and puffy, her skin pale.

"Sorry," she sniffed, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her sweatshirt, tears still dripping down her cheeks.

"Don't apologise," Will said quickly, reaching out and tipping her chin up. Cupping her cheek in the same hand, he gently lifted his thumb to wipe away the tears still tracking down her face. "What happened? I've never seen you that upset... ever"

Turning her head towards the window, JJ avoided his eye contact, still taking deep breaths in an attempt to regulate her breathing again.

"Is this about gymnastics?" Will asked softly.

"I thought... it was," JJ stammered, her shoulders slumping as she buried her face in her hands. "I was wrong"

Not knowing what to say next, Will reached over to his laundry hamper, pulling out the shirt he'd had on the previous day. Pressing it into JJ's hand, he reached up and tucked a loose strand of her hair out of her eyes.

"Change out of those clothes," he said, slowly getting up and helping JJ to her feet. "I'll wait out there"

On account of her shaking hands, it took her longer than usual to strip off the leggings and sweatshirt she'd worn to bed the night before, but eventually, she was redressed in Will's t-shirt and walking back out into the bedroom. She said nothing as she walked back around the bed, still sniffling as she sat back down on the mattress.

"You ok?" Will asked quietly, watching her closely.

"Yeah," JJ mumbled, wiping away a stray tear.

"Maybe you should talk about it," Will said softly.

"No, I don't want to," JJ replied, going to turn her back to him.

"JJ, I think-"

"Will, I don't want to-"

"Well, I think you should," Will said, reaching out and taking her hand. "I think you need to"

"I'm too tired, I don't feel well-"

"You don't feel well because you're stressing-"

Without warning, JJ burst into tears. "Please don't make me talk about it Will, not right now, please," she sobbed, catching Will off guard once more.

"Ok," he breathed, dropping the subject immediately. Pulling her into his arms, he managed to lay them both back down on the bed, pulling the blankets over the top of them as he did.

"Just get some rest," he whispered, kissing the top of JJ's head as she cuddled right up against him. "I love you"

He didn't get a reply, and he wasn't expecting one. It took some time, but eventually, JJ's sniffles gave way to deep, relaxed breathing.

And finally, he was able to rest.